Exchange Visitor Categories
Florida Tech is designated to sponsor 5 categories of exchange visitors: students, non-degree students, professors, research scholars, and short-term scholars. Each category permits specific kinds of activities and has its own maintenance of stay requirements, limitations of stay and employment options. At Florida Tech, professors, research scholars, and short-term scholars are all considered to be "scholars". The term "scholar" helps to differentiate between those who are involved in professional activities or career training and those who are enrolled as students and are taking classes as their primary activity.
| Category | Type of Activity | Limit of Stay/Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Professor | Primarily teaching, lecturing, observing or consulting at post-secondary educational institutions, museums, libraries, or similar types of institutions; may also conduct research. | Minimum stay in US of 3 weeks; Maximum stay up to 5 years Funding may come from the department, the visitor's government or employer, personal funds or a combination of these sources |
| Research Scholar | Primarily conducting research, observing or consulting in connection with a research project at research institutions, corporate research facilities, museums, libraries, post-secondary educational institutions or similar types of institutions; may also teach. | Minimum stay of 3 weeks; Maximum stay up to 5 years Funding may come from the department, the visitor's government or employer, personal funds or a combination of these sources |
| Short-Term Scholar | Professors, research scholar coming to US on a short-term visit for the purpose of lecturing, observing, consulting, training, or demonstrating special skills at corporate research facilities, museums, libraries, post-secondary educational institutions or similar types of institutions. | No minimum stay Maximum duration of 6 months Funding may come from the department, the visitor's government or employer, personal funds or a combination of these sources |
| Student (Degree-Seeking) |
Student admitted for academic program, either undergraduate, masters, or doctorate | Maximum stay for duration of the academic program, plus any authorized Academic Training; may extend for the purpose of matriculation to the next degree level
Funding may come from the department, the visitor's government or employer, personal funds* or a combination of these sources. |
| Non-Degree Student | There are two uses for this category:
(1) NON-DEGREE STUDENT admitted as temporary EXCHANGE STUDENT or in transient status, attending class full-time. (2) PRESCRIBED COURSE OF STUDY STUDENT (also categorized as a "Non-Degree Student" does not meet eligibility requirements for any other category (e.g. lack of advanced degree); will not be enrolling full-time in coursework; will participate in a non-degree academic program; such course of study may include classroom instruction and research projects. |
Maximum duration up to 2 years
Funding may come from the department, the visitor's government or employer, personal funds or a combination of these sources |